Redskins vs Vikings – Griffin Returns For Redskins in Battle with Vikings

By Charles Jay

The Washington Redskins, who had been down and out, have now won two games in a row, and part of it can be associated with the insertion of a quarterback who had been given a brief NFL rebirth. Now VietBet patrons see that they will make another change, going back to their original starter, who returns from injury as this team ventures to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a scheduled 1 PM ET kickoff at TCF Bank Stadium.

Colt McCoy had come in as a “relief pitcher” of sorts when Kirk Cousins was benched against Tennessee, and he completed 11 out of 12 passes as the Redskins beat the Titans. Then he got a start at AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, and proceeded to hit 25 of his 30 passes as Washington scored a straight-up win as a 9.5-point underdog in the NFL football odds. Now this game of musical chairs at the quarterback position will continue, albeit by necessity, as Robert Griffin, the former Heisman Trophy winner who the Redskins have invested millions in, has been announced as the starter for Sunday’s game. In making this decision, coach Jay Gruden, sensing that his team is gathering momentum, passed over the opportunity to wait until after the bye week, when he could have given Griffin a little extra rest for the ankle he dislocated in the second game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Vikings have the same 3-5 straight-up record as the Redskins, although while Washington is 3-5 against the football pointspread as well, Minnesota is 4-4 versus the number. Minnesota has been engaging in some very low-scoring games lately, the most recent of which was a 19-13 victory over Tampa Bay in overtime last Sunday.

Gruden is a coach who advocates for the West Coast offense, and so the philosophy has been to encourage Griffin to stay in the pocket is much as possible, take short drops, and get rid of the ball. Against Jacksonville he was on a rollout near the sideline but he simply landed badly on his right foot and dislocated the ankle. Cousins came in and put up big numbers against the Jags, but the luster eventually wore off for him. Nine interceptions later, he was yanked in favor of McCoy, who proceeded to complete 86% of his passes for almost eleven yards an attempt. But Gruden had made it clear to everybody that when Griffin was healthy enough, he was going to get the start. And so this is what VietBet customers have in front of them.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are breaking in rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and with mixed results. Pressed into action at New Orleans when Matt Cassel went down with the season-ending injury, Bridgewater had to get adapted quickly. He looked like a star in a home win against Atlanta the next week, but things have been rough since. At the moment, he is 60% accurate with a pair of touchdown passes and five interceptions. He has also been sacked 16 times, which is a sizable number when compared to his 155 attempts, but that is generally a product of not making decisions quickly enough.

VietBet patrons note that this is an intriguing matchup along the coaching lines, as Gruden, who was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati before taking that job in Washington, opposes Mike Zimmer, who was defensive coordinator for the Bengals until this, his rookie season as a head coach with Minnesota. Zimmer might be carrying a certain edge into the festivities, as his team has 25 sacks; the pass rush will be a factor if it takes Griffin some time to get re-acclimated.

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